biostudies-literatureUnknown8(11)Chan YHBackground Rheumatic diseases are related to both abnormal bone turnover and atherogenesis, but a mechanistic link was missing. Methods and Results We investigated the effect of cumulative rheumatic inflammation ( CRI ) on risk of coronary calcification in a retrospective cohort of 145 rheumatoid arthritis patients. A time-adjusted aggregate CRI score was derived by conglomerating all quarterly biomarker encounters of serum C-reactive protein over 60 months immediately preceding computed tomography coronary angiography. Flow cytometry was performed to measure the osteocalcin-positive ( OCN ⁺) CD 34⁺ KDR ⁺ and OCN ⁺ CD 34⁺ circulating endothelial progenitor cells ( EPCs ). Conventional early circulating EPCs CD 34⁺ CD 133<supJournal of the American Heart Associatione011540https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC6585350biostudies-literatureCumulative Rheumatic Inflammation Modulates the Bone-Vascular Axis and Risk of Coronary Calcification.PMC6585350Tse HFLai KYiu KHNgai MCZhen ZLau CSYu YJWu MZHo LMChung HYCheung TChen YChan YHfalseCumulative Rheumatic Inflammation Modulates the Bone-Vascular Axis and Risk of Coronary Calcification.Background Rheumatic diseases are related to both abnormal bone turnover and atherogenesis, but a mechanistic link was missing. Methods and Results We investigated the effect of cumulative rheumatic inflammation ( CRI ) on risk of coronary calcification in a retrospective cohort of 145 rheumatoid arthritis patients. A time-adjusted aggregate CRI score was derived by conglomerating all quarterly biomarker encounters of serum C-reactive protein over 60 months immediately preceding computed tomography coronary angiography. Flow cytometry was performed to measure the osteocalcin-positive ( OCN ⁺) CD 34⁺ KDR ⁺ and OCN ⁺ CD 34⁺ circulating endothelial progenitor cells ( EPCs ). Conventional early circulating EPCs CD 34⁺ CD 133<sup2019-01-01T00:00:00Z2019 Jun2025-04-21T22:15:12.86Z2019-07-24T07:23:57ZS-EPMC65853503113003810.1161/JAHA.118.011540